Our May trip to the Utah National Parks was filled with upward motion. This is a photo of the switchback “Walter’s Wiggles” on the way up to Angels Landing in Zion. Those little spots of color between the trees are people near the top of the switchback.

Opal Creek is a preserved natural area near Detroit Lake, Oregon. It was saved from logging in a contentious battle in the 1990s. The hike is about 7 miles to the pool and back, although much of it is on an old road, which is accessible by mountain bike. The road leads to Jawbone Flats, a small community of people who study the forest, and from there branches off into trails into the wilderness. The trail to Opal Pool is beautiful, and the loop that leads partway back down the other side of the creek is gorgeous old growth forest carpeted by moss and ferns.

We didn’t anticipate the ice, and it made the path a bit treacherous, but the pool with icicles hanging over it was stunning!